INSECT SLAPS MAN IN GUYANA!

May 25, 2010 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

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Sometimes you wonder whether this country is blighted. For so long we have been praying for rain but hoping that it does not pour cats and dogs to lead to flooding.
The rains have come and there have only been isolated incidents of flooding along the Coast. The flooding in the interior is a seasonal phenomenon. However, while it has not been raining cats and dogs, there has been a shower of mosquitoes affecting areas from Parika to Corriverton. While the rains have not led to extensive flooding, they have led to a massive invasion of mosquitoes.
A few nights ago, a citizen complained that he had never seen mosquitoes as much as this. And he lives in an area named Mosquito Hall which was named after these annoying insects.
Years ago, there was a movie made called Mosquito Coast, named after a strip of territory straddling parts of Honduras and Nicaragua. That particular area was named Mosquito Coast not because of the presence of mosquitoes, but because the name evolved as a colonial corruption of the Miskito Indians who inhabit those parts. So instead of Miskito Coast, it was turned to Mosquito Coast.
There is no corruption when it comes to mosquitoes in Guyana. There is a mosquito invasion of the entire coastal plain at the moment. It is causing a great deal of distress even in areas which have open savannahs and which are accustomed to these insects.
One resident of the city described the present swarm of mosquitoes as being extremely stubborn. He jokingly said that a few nights ago, he slapped one of them and the mosquito slapped him back. He said that they are stinging like marabunta and singing like Stevie Wonder. It was his way of explaining the nuisance caused by the present invasion.
Other residents have complained of the futility of dealing with the problem. All sort of remedies have been tried to hush these insects away but they are not going anywhere. The invasion is continuing. Residents have said that they have tried smoking them out, only to find that they are re-emerging with a viciousness that is unknown. Others have tried spraying their homes with Baygon. This has not made a difference. One citizen has said that she tried rubbing herself down with citronella oil but this brought only minimal relief.
There have been numerous calls for countrywide fogging to ease the situation. This columnist is not convinced that public fogging as is done on some occasions will have any significant impact. This has been tried before and has hardly impacted.
What is required is for an assessment to be done as to causes of the mosquito invasion. In most cases the problem is poor drainage. But how does this explain that even in well-drained areas there is high infestation?
These causes need to be determined so that suitable solutions, apart from fogging, can be undertaken. Fogging has been costly but not very effective and therefore it is necessary to look at other means to address the problem.
Years ago, there used to be public health employees who used to go from house to house spraying for the eradication of mosquitoes. This is a far more effective method than fogging since these sanitary officers used to get to the breeding grounds of the mosquitoes and used to warn residents about discarded tyres and containers which were in their yards and which harboured the insects.
These sanitary officers would also spray areas that were outside of the residence which were considered breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
Since the reduction of these sanitary officers there has been an increase in mosquito infestation and it is necessary for a resumption of this method.
The government should give serious consideration towards launching a campaign to rid the Coast of mosquitoes, particularly during this rainy season. While fogging is most suited for large areas, the authorities must consider the effectiveness of this method and perhaps opt for other methods which directly target the breeding grounds of mosquitoes.
They should seriously consider whether it would not be better to train a number of young persons from each area to go around their communities and treat the breeding grounds for mosquitoes. These would only be temporary staff employed to go around their communities to spray.
The advantage of having persons from the communities do this spraying is that they would be known to the community and thus avoid the problems associated with strangers having to come into your yard to do work.
Mosquitoes there will always be. But there is no reason why we cannot have a long-term campaign aimed at reducing their presence on the Coast so as to make life more bearable for all residents.

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